Midnight of the Fae

by Heather Rainier

  “Caresse! Leandre!” Marigold cried out as she jostled their still forms on the bed.

  George was flinging open the closed bedroom windows and pulling aside the heavy velvet drapes that must’ve been drawn around them to shield them from sunlight while they slept—if that was what they’d intended.

  Sebastien ran to the bed, his heart lurching at how still they both were. Leandre who was presently in his tangere form, was unresponsive, and Caresse’s face had gone so pale her lips were blue.

  “No! Caresse! Leandre! You must awaken!” he cried out as he jostled them to no effect.

  Marigold now stood with George in the corner, conversing in panicked tones. She turned, grabbed the basin of cool water Caresse kept on a side table, and flung the water on them both, splashing him, as well.

  Nothing.

  “Oh no! My sweets!” Marigold cried out. “Don’t die!”

  Her wailing was joined by one of the maids who’d come into the room, and soon the entire household staff was there.

  “Oh, my prince, do something!” Marigold wept, flinging her apron over her head.

  Sebastien knew Leandre occasionally conversed with his sister via a link similar to the one Sebastien now shared with Caresse and Leandre.

  He closed his eyes and concentrated, reaching out. Sebastien was part fae from his mother’s lineage. If he could communicate with Caresse and Leandre, perhaps he could open a link of communication with—

  You called? said a put-upon feminine voice between his ears. I’m kind of in the middle of some “me” time.

  We need you, Selena. Right now. Drop whatever you’re doing and get here!

  I don’t respond well to orders, princeling.

  Right now! It’s an emergency!

  They all say that—Wait, you really mean it, don’t you?

  Yes, damn it! It’s life or death!

  I swear Plaisir D’Or is not the only personal soap opera I’m juggling right now. This better be— “What the fuck!” she cried out when she suddenly manifested in the flesh at the foot of Caresse’s bed. “What happened? I left everything and everyone in good hands with strict orders. Why are they soaking wet?”

  The majority of the staff shrieked and fled at her appearance, leaving only Marigold and George standing by the window, the dripping basin still held in Marigold’s hands. Selena was well known for her temper and capriciousness.

  Selena turned her gaze on him and glowered. I can hear you, dimwit. Do you ever want to get laid again?

  Sorry, sorry, sorry. It’s just well-established fact, and—Caresse and Leandre! He pointed at them, hoping to distract her.

  “Madame Selena, they sleep and won’t awaken. Something is wrong,” George said, removing the basin from Marigold’s hands and placing it back on the table. “May I assist you with…” He pointed at Selena’s toes.

  “No. They aren’t dry enough yet,” Selena muttered as she hobbled oddly to the side of the bed and sat down on a dry patch on the quilt. She leaned forward and then looked around the room, as if trying to detect something.

  “There is dark magic in this room.” She inhaled deeply and then glowered at the pillow Caresse’s head and Leandre’s curled form were resting on. “That bitch! She poisoned them!” She yanked the pillow out from under them and tossed it into the far corner of the room.

  “What? Who?” Sebastien demanded.

  “Desdemona!”

  “What?” George and Marigold cried out.

  “Be still,” Selena said as she stretched out her hands, so slim and graceful to Caresse and Leandre. “She won’t get away with it a second time,” she murmured, and then all grew so quiet, so still, it was as if the trees stopped growing, the birds stopped in mid-flight, the clouds stopped in their courses in the sky. His breathing slowed, and not a movement stirred the air in the room.

  He was growing lightheaded when suddenly time snapped back into place and the occupants of the room jolted.

  Looking fatigued, Selena turned to George and Marigold and beckoned them. They came without hesitation, and Selena said, “Leave this room and return with kerchiefs covering your noses and mouths. This bedding had been poisoned. Remove it and burn it outside, away from the house.”

  “Yes, Madame Selena. What else?” George asked with reverence.

  “Leave the pillow where it is. I’ll need it. Don’t touch it but burn the other bedding.”

  Selena looked down at Caresse and Leandre and then fastened her gaze on the pair standing there. “There is something else. Thank you for taking care of him all these years. He exiled himself and wouldn’t return home after Ella died, even though it was no fault of his own.”

  “He who?” Marigold asked, her confusion obvious.

  Selena stroked Leandre’s head. “Prince Leandre, cousin of Ella de Rochambard, my brother, and heir to the Fae throne.”

  “You mean my little Leandre, our Doop-Doop? The prince? My widdle smooshkin?” Marigold’s expression went blank, and she would’ve hit her head on the floor if George hadn’t caught her.

  Selena fanned her as she chuckled. “Tend to your lady love, George.”

  “Lady love? We’re not—”

  “Uh-huh, tell me another.”

  “But we’re not—”

  Selena cut him off and pointed at herself. “Fae matchmaker extraordinaire. Hello? She loves you. You love her. Get the train on the tracks.”

  “But we’re…old.”

  “Honey, it’s never too late until one of you is pushing up daisies.”

  “Yes, Madame. I’ll get right on that. But Leandre and Caresse?”

  Selena stood and hobbled closer to them on her heels and beckoned to Sebastien. “We must get them to the palace. They will be all right. Remember to do as I asked, George. Don’t touch that pillow. Desdemona mustn’t be allowed to succeed in killing someone else.”

  “Killing someone…else?” George’s expression was suddenly transformed by the realization. “Yes, Madame, it will be done exactly as you wish. You will…deal with her? I should have…Oh, that harridan. I thought she was petty and vengeful, but I didn’t think she was capable of murder.”

  “You are not at fault. I was the one who underestimated her. I thought she had what she wanted. I was wrong. I will take good care of Caresse and Leandre.”

  Sebastien locked hands with Selena over their still-supine forms, and the fae enchantress transported them in a flash to his chambers in the palace.

  Selena stood and kicked a pair of oddly shaped devices from her feet. It took several good kicks before the squishy things finally loosed from between her toes and sailed across the room.

  Rushing to the leaded glass double doors that opened onto the balcony, she threw them open, letting in a gust of fresh air, which was cooler at the much higher altitude.

  “There. Now we need to remove her clothing, in case the poison somehow got on it. Marigold actually had the right idea when she doused them.”

  Leandre gave a tremendous sneeze and shook his head, looking around in a dazed fashion. A moment later, he flashed into his fae form. He succeeded—partially. His tunic was on backward, and his trousers were inside out, judging by the visible seams and pockets.

  “Wha…what happened?” He blinked dully, looked around the room and then realized Caresse lay beside him, still sleeping.

  “We need to bathe her,” Selena said. Leandre reached out, and when he touched her, her clothing disappeared in a shower of sparkles.

  “Perfect. Lucky for us she thought she was poisoning someone who was fully human, and her little dog, too. Now that we’ve removed the source, they should bounce back.”

  Selena paused to stare at Caresse’s face before hurrying to the screened area in the corner to start the shower. “She resembles her mother…so much. Take her into the shower, Sebastien. Leandre is still a little too out of it.”

  “Am not,” Leandre muttered and then fell face first into the mattress. In a muffled voice, he said, “Okay, maybe a l
ittle. But it’s wearing off. Desdemona drugged us, didn’t she?”

  Selena repositioned his head so he wasn’t breathing directly into the bedding and nodded. “She tried to kill you, and nearly succeeded. I knew it might come to this if you stayed.”

  “I promised Ella that if something ever happened to her I’d watch over Charles and Ninette. I let her down. I failed to protect Ninette. I wasn’t there when Ella was in danger and needed me. The least I could do was stay and protect Charles until Caresse…Ninette was old enough to return in her full power and claim her rightful place.”

  Answers would come, Sebastien thought as he carried Caresse to the shower. Right now, counteracting whatever Desdemona had done to her took priority. At least she was finally safe in his home and in his arms.

  Vital color returned to her cheeks, as he stood with her, still clothed, beneath the deluge of the mountain-spring-fed shower. The water poured over her golden hair, burnishing it as it was saturated, drawing his attention to the fine bone structure of her face. The lines were similar to Selena’s, hinting at her fae lineage. She took a deep breath, and he kissed her forehead.

  Her eyes opened, and she gasped as she looked up at him.

  “You had me so worried, ma chèrie.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “What do you remember, Caresse?” the beautiful fae asked as Sebastien wrapped her in a large linen bath towel and helped her back into the bedchamber.

  “The last thing I remember was lying down with Leandre curled up next to me on my pillow at the mansion.” An odd numbness lingered in her fingertips and lips, and her extremities were clumsy when she tried to walk on her own. “I feel weird.”

  “You were drugged, but you’re both going to be all right. We got to you in time.”

  “Are you a fae?” she asked, still feeling a little detached from reality. Her head swam as Sebastien eased her onto the big bed.

  Evidently understanding, the lovely enchantress nodded as she came to sit beside her. Her eyes were the same brown as Leandre’s and possessed the same slight tilt as his. “I’m Selena, Leandre’s sister and Sebastien’s cousin on his mother’s side. I’m also your distant cousin through marriage.”

  “You are? Well, how can that be? I’m from Washington.”

  Selena nodded. “And right where you needed to be, to grow up safe.” Her serene expression betrayed a hint of sorrow as she stroked Caresse’s forehead. “I knew your mother.”

  “You did? My mother? You mean my real mother?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will you tell me about her?”

  “Yes, after the ball, I’ll tell you everything.”

  “Wait, if you’re here right now, then that means I’ll finally get some answers. All the answers he promised!” She meant to point at Leandre, but instead her entire arm swung in a wild arc, which he dodged to avoid being hit.

  Selena took her hand and patted it. “I have all your answers, but look…” She gestured to the window. The moon was rising in the distance, odd-looking from this angle, as if she were at a great height. She remembered she wasn’t in her attic room. Clearly her senses weren’t fully functional yet. “It’s dark. I was out for a while, wasn’t I?”

  Leandre came near and took her other hand. To Selena, he said, “She’s had some very long hours the last few days, and she needed a nap. I laid down with her to watch over her, and I guess fatigue took over.”

  “I’ll say,” Selena snarled. “If Sebastien hadn’t called out to me when he did, you’d both be dead by now.”

  “He contacted you? I thought that wasn’t possible,” Leandre said, standing to hold Sebastien’s shoulder in a strong grasp.

  “It was through your connection with him and Caresse. You were unaware when he did it. We need to get ready for the ball.”

  “Ball-schmall,” Caresse said, forcing her sluggish limbs to cooperate as she tried to sit up. At least feeling had returned to her fingertips and her lips. “The party can wait. I think I’m the one who deserves answers to questions here.” Sometimes a girl had to assert herself, and she liked this fae.

  Leandre’s eyes widened, and out of Selena’s line of sight, Sebastien shook his head and made a slashing motion at his neck.

  Selena chuckled and batted a hand at the men as if she could see their reactions without looking. Maybe it was written on Caresse’s face.

  “Yes, princess, you are entitled to answers to all your questions, and I promise, by the time my business here tonight is finished, you’ll have all of them, as well as anything you need from me. But we’re running late, and Desdemona is past due for retribution.”

  “Wow. Okay, well, that’s nice. Exactly how late is late, and what about Desdemona?”

  Selena giggled as she stood and did a little jig. “I’m about to whip somebody’s ass!”

  “You sound just like—”

  Selena stopped dancing to look down at her feet and reached down to touch her toes. “Yep, they’re dry.”

  Caresse peered over the edge of the bed and spotted Selena’s fresh pedicure. “Hey, that looks just like—”

  “Shh!” Selena said with a finger to her lips. She winked.

  Caresse looked at her silver toenails, which had been dotted at the edges with tiny rhinestones. She looked up at Selena, and a tremendous hope filled her heart as Selena winked and gave a tiny shake of her head.

  A tiny voice whispered, Not yet, precious. Soon.

  “Well, heck. What do you need me to do?”

  “Let Leandre fit you out for the ball while I borrow the prince.”

  Caresse tested her legs and nodded. Sebastien was reluctant to leave her but was reassured when she could stand on her own and only then took his leave with Selena.

  Leandre also seemed fully recovered, judging by the mischief sparkling in his eyes as he beckoned her with his index finger.

  “What are you going to do to me?” she asked, giggling when he gave a playful growl and pulled her into his arms.

  His embrace was strong, and through their connection, she could sense his happiness but also his relief that he hadn’t let her down, too.

  “Hey,” she said, pushing back enough to look up at him. “You didn’t let anyone down. You can’t be everywhere at once, and you had no idea Desdemona would do what she did…whatever it was she did.”

  Vulnerability softened the hard angles of his expressive face. He leaned close until his forehead touched hers and their noses brushed together. “I love you.”

  “And I love you, Leandre. Now, head in the game. No one is dying tonight. Not on my watch anyway. What are you going to do with me?” she asked as she gestured at the towel she was still wrapped in.

  He released her and tapped his fingertip against his chin as his gaze traveled up and down her form. She let the towel fall to the floor at her feet. Languid heat flowed over her skin as though he were touching her, and he gave a sexy growl as if he knew his gaze was turning her on.

  “Orange blossoms, I think,” he murmured. “But not demure…or safe.”

  “Oh, that sounds nice.”

  “Have I ever showed you my wand?” Leandre asked as he circled around to her nude backside.

  “I’ve never heard it called that before, but I think so.”

  Leandre’s chuckle sent an arrow of lust straight to her pussy.

  A shiver raced through her when he stroked from the nape of her neck to her tailbone, inciting a sharp spasm of desire that made her shiver and moan. Every trace of levity whispered away.

  “Do you think we have time—”

  “Sorry, princess. Time is of the essence. Otherwise, the wicked things I’d do to you.”

  Her pussy clenched as she imagined what he’d do.

  “Mmm, you are hard to resist, but I must get you downstairs.”

  Selena’s voice between her ears startled her. Plenty of time for patty fingers later, lust bunnies! Chop, Chop!

  “She’s right, princess.”

  “Shoot.” The
blaze inside her settled down into a simmer as he came around to her front once more. “How should we fit you out? Fairy tale confection fit for Cinderella? Or more lace and mystery like last night? What do you think?”

  A disgruntled growl in their mental chat room told them Selena was still listening.

  Leandre said, “How about fire-painted silk?”

  Selena squealed in delight. Oh, hell yes! Make it so, Number One, and get your asses down here. Everyone is waiting!

  Caresse trembled with excitement as Leandre pulled an actual wand from thin air and began twirling it. Sparks emanated from the tip and tickled her skin as she closed her eyes. The caress of silk made every hair on her body stand on end as she was sheathed in it.

  “Bippity-boppity-boo, baby! Dayum!”

  With her eyes closed, Caresse smiled at the surprise in his voice. Whatever this was, it was going to be phenomenal, going by his tone.

  “Guess I’d better bring my A-game, too. No tuxedo for me tonight,” he said as she opened her eyes.

  Lifting her hands, she was dazzled by silk encasing them in. “Orange is not my color, or at least I thought not.”

  Leandre pulled her close and held out her hands so he could look her over. “Not orange, my love. This is shades of flame, you are so hot!”

  “Now you,” she pointed at him, still dressed in his backward tunic and inside-out pants.

  He eyed her up and down with appreciation smoldering in his eyes and then nodded. He lifted the wand in the air above his head and then lowered it with a sudden swoosh of his arm.

  Sparks shimmered and disappeared, leaving him clad in a sleek leather suit. Her jaw dropped open. The long, military-style coat and pants were so black the color seemed to absorb all the light around them. His boots had thick lug soles that put the wannabe Goth boots she remembered from home to shame. The coat was cut to reveal a wide studded black leather belt, from which hung a wickedly curved scabbard and sword. His shoulder-length blond hair was braided back at the temples but otherwise fell loose around his broad shoulders.